Columbus Board of Works members have approved a contract for a former hotelier to manage the new public safety training facility under construction on the city’s north side.
The city approved a one-year contract for Ray Wagner, paying $33.65 per hour for an average of 20 hours a week, said Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development, who also serves on the Columbus Board of Works.
“We’re really excited to get (him) on board,” Ferdon said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “This gives us two or three months to start. We’ve had a lot of people knocking on the door to start using it.”
The manager of the public safety building will be in charge of scheduling, managing the facility and keeping it maintained and clean, according to city officials. Using the contract figures as an estimate, Wagner would be paid $34,996 a year before taxes.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Ray Wagner is the husband of Nancy Wagner, Mayor Jim Lienhoop’s administrative assistant, and brother-in-law of city councilman Tim Shuffett, city officials confirmed.
Ferdon, pointing to Wagner’s experience in facility management, hospitality and customer service, said the city followed strict hiring protocols and does not view the contract as a conflict of interest.
“He was hired as part of the normal hiring process,” Ferdon said. “His background supports the skills that we need and the position. We have a number of city employees who are married. It’s not unusual to have spouses hired (by the city).”
Ray Wagner, who is originally from South Bend and has lived in Columbus for six years, said he has more than 50 years of experience in the hotel industry and had managed the former Clarion Hotel and La Quinta Inn here.
He said he began meeting with city officials in July in a volunteer capacity to look at how a new public safety facility could be used once construction is completed.
The new facility will offer firefighters and other first responders opportunities for classroom and hands-on training. It will have two 30-person classrooms, an EMS lab to do re-certifications for paramedics, a firearms simulator for target practice, among other training options.
Construction on the facility started last year, and city officials expect it to be completed this spring.
Though city officials said the new facility would primarily be used to train Columbus firefighters and police, Columbus Fire Chief Mike Compton said he hopes that the city could also lease it to other fire departments in the area.
“Our goal is to have it be a regional facility,” he said. “The southern half of Indiana is the region we’re discussing here, maybe even reaching over into other states.”
“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity, and (the facility) will be great for the city,” Ray Wagner said.
Though the Columbus Fire Department will initially pay Ray Wagner’s contract, Alan Whitted, city attorney, said the new manager is not considered a city employee because he is an independent contractor.
Whitted said it is a fairly common practice for the city to hire professionals and consultants as independent contractors. As city attorney, Whitted is among the independent contractors hired by the city.
“The city won’t be paying his FICA taxes,” Whitted said. “The city won’t be putting money into his pension. The city won’t be withholding taxes. He’s going to be part-time and scheduling his own hours. We won’t be dictating his hours.”
Ferdon said she expects Wagner’s contract to eventually be paid by revenue from the public safety training facility.
“The goal is that in three years that the facility will be self-supporting,” Ferdon said. “At the same time, the city will be able to reduce its training budget. Instead of sending firefighters out of the city to train, they will be able to train here.”
Currently, the city’s training budget is around $60,000, she said.
